Several major producers of automotive antifreeze/coolant have announced price increases that take effect at the end of this month. The increases apply to concentrated and pre-diluted products and are generally in the area of 5%. The price movements are said to be driven by the rising cost of raw materials (ethylene glycol), manufacturing and transportation. Lubricant marketers say they received notification of the increases in October from Shell, Chevron, KOST, and Old World.

The price of ethylene spiked in the third quarter of 2018 due to sharp increases in the price of ethane. In addition, ethylene capacity was reduced in September due to a plant turnaround. Interestingly, however, some ethane prices, the feedstock for ethylene production, were reportedly down late in October.

Although JobbersWorld has observed expected seasonal adjustments in the price of antifreeze on retail shelves in the past month, we will be monitoring and reporting on how this most recent round of price increases at the manufacturer level migrate into the retail space over the next few months.

Based on JobbersWorld’s sampling of retail prices, the average price for conventional pre-diluted antifreeze/coolant at the leading big box store at the start of November is $8.93 a gallon and range from $6.33 to $10.95.

Antifreeze/coolant prices JobbersWorld currently observes on the shelves at the leading big box store and average for leading auto parts stores are shown below. Prices posted are a representation of those observed by JobbersWorld on retail shelves at a fixed point in time and may not necessarily represent actual or sale prices at individual stores or at other times. Visit stores for actual prices when buying.

Observed prices for concentrate antifreeze at leading big box store.

Average observed prices for pre-diluted antifreeze at three leading auto parts stores. Prices in the sampling range from $12.99 to 17.99 with an average of $14.38 a gallon in single jug packages.